Ronkonkoma native selected for chief petty officer in the Navy

Ronkonkoma native Swindy Rodriguez is climbing the ranks in the U.S. Navy.

Rodriguez learned last month she’d been picked for chief petty officer, one of the enlisted ranks’ most significant milestones. She is currently assigned to USS Farragut, a Navy destroyer based out of Mayport, Florida.

Chief petty officers are known as the “backbone of the Navy,” recognized for sustained excellence, leadership and the ability to develop sailors and officers while holding the line on standards.

Rodriguez told the U.S. Navy Office of Community Outreach that the discipline that got her there started long before boot camp.

“I participated in crew rowing growing up,” she said. “That shaped my mental toughness and taught me not to give up.”

Rodriguez said that toughness carried her through the low points of training.

“There were times in boot camp where I was mentally exhausted and wanted to give up,” she said. “However, the mental fortitude I gained from rowing helped me keep going.”

Rodriguez joined the Navy in 2010 and served four years before departing in 2014. She rejoined in 2019 as a petty officer third class, and now serves as a boatswain’s mate.

Her reasons for joining changed with the times, she said.

“I joined the Navy the first time because I had nowhere else to turn to,” Rodriguez said. “I was a troubled 20-year-old, close to homelessness, and I pursued the Navy for a steady paycheck and stability. The second time I joined was to make ends meet and to give a better life to my daughter.”

USS Farragut carries more than 300 sailors and can operate independently or with a larger strike group, armed with Tomahawk missiles, torpedoes, guns and a Phalanx close-in weapons system.

For Rodriguez, the payoff has been at home, not on the ship.

“My proudest accomplishment is my family having a good future because of my Navy career,” she said. “The Navy has provided my family with stable housing, finances and comfortability. … I don’t even know what to buy my kids for Christmas because they have all the toys they want. That is true success to me.”

She said mentoring junior sailors has become one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

“Helping them study for exams, get ready for deployments, promote and earn warfare devices are all great accomplishments for me,” Rodriguez said. “Being out to sea is tough, so I am grateful for any way I can help.”

Rodriguez said she couldn’t have gotten here alone. She thanked her husband, a fellow military veteran, for holding down the home front; Senior Chief Howell, for pushing her toward a ship assignment; and Chief Boatswain’s Mate Wilson, for talking her through her lowest points. She also credited her daughters, Annaliese and Ixchel, with keeping her grounded.

“They are charismatic and full of energy,” Rodriguez said. “When I come home, I get to put on my mom cap, and it is the best part of my day.”

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